Alcohol: A Party Time Necessity
by Caramelotti
Summary: A Caramelotti Publication: After Darren is assigned to babysit Chris after his 21st birthday celebration, Darren finds himself put in a difficult position.  CrissColfer RPF
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all!** **I'm back with another collaborative effort written between the hours of 9pm and 1am. This was also written while listening to fucking insane British radio fuckers who are fucking trolls and make the fucking American girls stay up WAY late in order to hear the confirmation/denial of the CrissColfer interview.**

**During the editing process, we tried to make everything as cohesive as possible so that it didn't seem to be written by seven different people, so hopefully that shows. The seven writers contributing to this fic: Onlyonekamui, ohmygleek, tazitz, imadeafriendtoday, blairoline, lemonaidan, and singingwrenn. Go read their stuff, they are AWESOME! **

**Again, this is a CrissColfer RPF, so if you don't like it, click the back button and go read some Klaine. For now, it's pretty innocent, but we have PLANS for this fic! It was going to be a oneshot, but then we all started fangirling and tumbling the interview and all hope was lost. **

**But that also means that this is going to be longer and more involved and even better than the first collaborative piece! Leave reviews, we love to know what you're thinking! Also, if you have any prompts you'd want us to cover, let us know! Thanks!**

It had been a long night at the concert, but Chris was dragged out for his birthday. Perhaps dragged wasn't the proper term; More like he'd demanded everyone go with him on a bar crawl… A bar crawl that lasted two bars. Chris was little and everyone from the cast had bought him a shot. By the time they'd left the second place, Chris was trashed.

"BEST BIRTHDAY EVAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he cheered, crashing into Darren on the way out. "OH HEY DARREN!"

"The lightweight couldn't even handle his be-OOOF!" Darren felt himself pushed forward as a body smacked into him. He and a few others of the cast were outside of the bar, enjoying fresh air and talking about how Chris couldn't hold his liquid when the Birthday Boy Himself finally left the bar. Correction: Ran out of the bar. Darren smiled cheekily at the drunk 21 year old and helped him up, making sure he was standing straight, "Hey there Mr. Big Shot...or Mr. I Can't Handle My Shot." Chris gave him a drunken glare before almost falling over in a fit of giggles.

Lea walked over to the two. "Hey handsomes, we oldies are going to go find a 24-hour diner to relax. Darren, do you mind making sure Chris gets home and STAYS home okay?" Darren laughed and nodded, hugging her goodbye and watching the group walk away. Chris had managed to worm away and was sitting on a bench, contorted and giggling.

"LOOK DARREN! I'M PLANKING!" The 24-year-old shook his head in disbelief and helped to stand the boy up again, beginning their trek to the hotel. It didn't take long for something else to catch the attention of the disoriented boy. Many a times did Darren have to stop walking and pull Chris away from bushes as he was mumbling, "Pavarotti is in there somewhere, Blaine. I just know it!" When Chris wasn't busy in the bushes, he was picking up sticks and twirling them around with drunken abandonment, usually ending in a stick hitting Darren, which would then lead to an apologetic Chris. The cycle repeated itself a few times. Finally, Darren had had enough. He slapped Chris' hand as he reached down to get another stick.

"Chris, no. No more. I don't enjoy getting hit in the head with tree branches! If you were actually trying to twirl your sais right now, I'd be dead!" He laughed as Chris stuck his tongue out and pulled a face.

"Whateeer Duren, I'm 'mazing at everythin' and if I had my sais, I would be kickin' ass and takin' names!" Chris slurred as he slumped against Darren. "I dun feel so hot Darren..." Darren put his arm around the younger boy and reassured him.

"Chris, you're fine. Just keep walking; we're almost at the hotel. You'll be in a warm, cozy bed in five minutes. Just keep that in mind." Chris nodded into Darren's shoulder, closing his eyes, trusting Darren to get him home. By the time they made it back to the hotel, Darren's shoulder had accumulated a large spot of drool and, from the gentle pressure he had felt on occasion during their stumbling walk, a few bite marks. He'd have been annoyed at the potential damage done to a jacket that was a personal favorite of his, but when he glanced down at the unruly head of hair against his arm, he couldn't bring himself to be anything but utterly charmed by the adorable expression on Chris's face. His eyes were sleepy and half-closed, but he swore he still saw a spark of mischief dancing behind the lids, despite the drunken haze which clouded them. Unfortunately, his pondering of the eyes of one Chris Colfer took his own off the pavement, and both men made a face-first acquaintance with the wooden bench outside the front lobby. "Oww," Darren moaned. Somehow in their fall, the other boy had ended up half across his lap, his weight crushing Darren into the slats of the bench in a less than pleasant way. "Chris, gerroff!" he said, trying to maneuver Chris off of him.

"No!" Chris squealed. "You- you're warm," he muttered. "Iss cold and you're warm. Snuggle." And snuggle in he did, right into the crook of Darren's arm. Darren attempted to pull Chris upright.

"You'll be warm when you get to bed. I promise." Chris just snuggled in closer to Darren, mumbling into his arm.

"No, bed's not warm like you. Bed's not snuggly like you." Darren sighed and scooped Chris up, carring him through the doors of the hotel, and into the waiting elevator. When the elevator arrived at the appropriate floor, the duo stepped off.

"C'mon, let's just get you to bed. You need sleep." When they reached Chris' room, Darren asked Chris to get his key out so he could open the door.

"Too tired" Chris mumbled, "It's in my pocket, you can get it." Darren maneuvered Chris to standing position, still supporting the taller man's body with his own, and dug into Chris' pocket for the key. "Darren, that tickles." Chris slurred, trying to squirm away from the man holding him up. Darren fished the card out and swiped it. After the light blinked green he stumbled into the room with Chris still attached to his side. He led the drunken man towards his bed and helped him lay down.

"Okay, Chris, I'm going back to my room. Call me if you need anything, and don't do anything stupid."

Darren turned around to leave but Chris called after him, "No! Pleeease don' leave me." He gave Darren his best puppy dog eyes when he turned to acknowledge Chris pleading in his bed. Darren sighed.

"Alright I'll just crash on the couch then." Chris looked rejected.

"Can' you jusssleep in my bed?"

"Chris I don't know if that's such a good idea," Darren answered.

"You know what's an awesum idea?" Darren raised an eyebrow, looking at Chris. "I should call my mom. DARREN I SHOULD CALL MY MOM!"

"What? Why?" But he couldn't grab Chris fast enough as he started to dial home.

"I need to tell her... her stuff." Darren sprang over the bed to grab the phone, but Chris giggled and slid off the bed and out of his reach. "Voicemail… poop... MOM. MOM HIII! Mom... MOM. I... I turned 21 WOO and... and I drank, some. But don't tell Dad I'm a lot drunk, k? OH AND MOM!" Chris ran away from Darren again, giggling louder into the phone. "I'm with Darren... my boyfriend! OH WAIT. FAKE boyfriend!" Darren cringed at that comment.

"Okay, Chris, give me the phone." Darren reached for the phone and grabbed it from the intoxicated boy. Mumbling into the phone, "Sorry about that, he's going to bed now," Darren hung up the phone. Looking back at Chris, he could see Chris was pouting.

"Why did you do that, fake boyfriend?"

Darren sighed. "Ok, you have got to stop calling me that. That's only on the show."

Chris looked at him and said, "But why is it only on the show. You are really hot... do you know that? Like your face... is… really hot. And… I want to just touch it. Cause it's hot." To fit Chris' description, Darren felt his face heat up in a blush. His vision was blurred by hands that touched his eyelids and fell to his cheeks, pushing them up and down. Shaking his head, Darren grabbed Chris' wrists and lowered them and walked the boy over to his bed. Chris pouted some more and flopped on his bed, sprawling across it with open arms and legs. "Darrrrennnnn. You were wrong, this bed isn't as snuggly as you were." Darren furrowed his brow and glanced at Chris, watching his sleepy eyes open and close. He ran a hand through his hair, walked to the couch, and settled down on it, biting his lip along the way.

Just as he felt a small amount of calmness wash over the room he heard the pitter patter of feet and within seconds there was a Chris Colfer on him, giggling into his neck, "SEE DARREN! CUDDLY SNUGGLY!" Despite his protests, Darren felt butterflies start accumulating in his stomach. He tried pushing the taller boy off of him, but it was no use.

"Chris, c'mon, get off of me. You need to sleep in your own bed." Chris giggled and lifted his head to meet Darren's gaze.

"How about we both get into my bed?" The butterflies in Darren's stomach kept multiplying.

"Chris, that isn't -" He was cut off by a pair of lips crashing into his own. Darren sighed into the feeling, finally knowing what it felt like after months of wondering, before he opened his eyes and pushed Chris off of him.

"C-Chris, what the hell?" he yelped, heart racing at an unhealthy pace.

"C'mon, Dare," Chris mumbled, taking a shaking step. He started to sing, the words slurred and high and soft. "Don't, don't y-you want me," he wrapped his arm around Darren's neck, pulling him in, "-baby?" The whispered word in his ear sent shivers coursing through his body. The tongue which followed them sent him stumbling back in panic as a completely different sensation travelled downwards, an unmistakable and completely mortifying heat.

"Chris, no," he pleaded, trying to grab the hands which were doing their best to grope at the buttons of his shirt.

"You're drunk, we're not doing this."

"I'm nott drunk!" Chris slurred, "You just taste realllly good, like cherries. I gotta try that cherry stuff next time, Darren!"

Darren pushed Chris back away, "Yes, you are. Just go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Chris crawled towards Darren, grabbing at his shirt.

"Jus lay with me, kay?" He mumbled sleepily, "I promise I'll be good. Just c'mere for a second." Darren tried to protest, but Chris' hands were held tight to his shirt. He reluctantly lay down, hoping that Chris would fall asleep quickly and he could sneak out. "Yer so warm, Darren" Chris mumbled, burying his face in the smaller man's chest. "So warm…" Chris trailed his hands up into Darren's shirt, Darren promptly swatting him away and rolling out of the bed. "Darrrrennnn." Chris whined.

"NO. I told you we couldn't do this. Just go to sleep." Darren snapped.

"Darren, why're you mad?" Chris slurred. "Because you aren't thinking; the alcohol is taking over your mind." Chris looked confused. "My mind isn' tooken over, Dare."

"Chris, you don't actually like me. You are just fucking with my feelings right now and all this will do is make tomorrow awkward as fuck." Darren explained.

"Feelings?" Chris asked. Darren realized his mistake. He didn't know what to do and decided to grab his things and leave without explanation. "Wait, Darren! I don' underssand wha I did wrong," Chris called and staggered after Darren. The shorter man turned around.

"Chris go back to bed. If you still remember, we can talk about it in the morning." Chris grabbed Darren's head and smashed their lips together. Darren was frozen for a moment, even tempted to kiss him back, but thought better of it and pushed Chris off. "Go back to your room." he ordered before disappearing into his own and slamming the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Darren staggered into his bathroom, doing his best to calm his ragged breaths into gasps that didn't feel like they were tearing his lungs apart. He didn't even realize his hands were shaking until his attempt to turn on the faucet was thwarted by fingers which refused to grasp the knob. Finally starting the tap, he splashed icy water over his burning face.

He had just admitted that he had feelings for Chris Colfer.

TO Chris Colfer.

Fucking fucktastic fuck didn't even begin to scratch the surface of this. God, what was he going to do? Snippets of tabloid articles and frantic phone calls from managers and judging stares from costars flitted and chased each other about his head. He dropped his head into his hands, groaning. Maybe Chris's drunkenness would void out this whole conversation tomorrow. Maybe the other boy would wake up with a hangover and Darren would wake up with enough mortification to last a lifetime, but nobody else would ever have to know.

He could live with that, right?

Darren had almost managed to calm himself with the thought when a loud bang startled him out of his head. Somebody was at the door, and that somebody seemed like they meant business.

From the other side of the door, Chris kept banging, trying to get Darren to answer the door to avoid waking anyone up. When that failed, he resorted to yelling. "DARREN, OPEN THE DOOR! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!" He kept banging and yelling. "GODDAMMIT DARREN, YOU DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE SUCH A PROBLEM KISSING ME WHEN YOU WERE GETTING PAID TO DO IT!"

Inside the hotel room, Darren cringed and felt his heart clench. Did Chris really think of him that way? Gay for pay? It may have been an old porn star cliché, but it still worked in his situation. He fell back onto his still made bed and stuffed a pillow over his face, trying to drown out the younger man's cries from the hallway.

After a few minutes of acting like a drunken fool, Chris stopped banging on Darren's door and slumped against the wall. Even in his drunken state, he knew what he was doing and he knew what he wanted to say to Darren. Too bad Darren didn't want to hear what he had to say, however. Chris slid down the wall to the floor and curled up in front of the door. If Darren wasn't going to talk to him tonight, that was his choice. Chris' choice, however, was going to be sleeping in front of Darren's door and forcing the older man to talk in the morning, one way or another.

Time passed and soon it was morning. Darren woke up lazily, stretching slightly and looking around. Thinking back over the last night, he cringed at what he had admitted to Chris. But it didn't matter; Chris probably didn't remember anything anyway, or care about him in that way at all. Taking a quick piss and changing for the day, Darren went to open his door to go get some breakfast. As he opened the door, Chris fell backwards onto him. He must have slept against the door all night. As Chris fell, it seemed to wake him up. "What happened?" Chris asked groggily. "Oh god… my head. Why is it so bright?"

Darren glanced at him weakly and said with a pain in his chest, "You had a little too much to drink last night. But don't worry, besides sleeping outside my door, I don't think anything of consequence happened."bChris rubbed at his eyes gently, letting his weight fall against the doorframe. He smiled, thinking about the wonderful birthday he had. The whole gang had celebrated with him, he remembered getting incredibly drunk and walking home. The whole night was replaying in his mind, but then everything was brought to a fast stop when one sentence entered his mind.

"'You are just fucking with my feelings right now."

Chris flinched, hearing the same tone that Darren had used the night before. After opening his eyes and taking in the light, he saw the man in front of him with red, puffy eyes. Darren held a solemn expression, avoiding looking at him at all, "I-I'm going to go get some coffee. I'll bring you back some..." With that, Chris watched his back as he walked away. Darren knew that Chris was watching him walk away, but he knew he couldn't stand there any longer. He didn't know whether or not it hurt more or less that he didn't remember anything. Instead of thinking about it, he would go get them coffee and they would be back to normal, despite how much he wanted to cry, hit something, **anything** to let everything out.

Chris leaned against the wall, waiting in the hallway for Darren to get back with their coffee. He knew he should probably move to find a more appropriate place to sit, but he was still too tired to think and too hung over to really care. He pressed at his temples, trying to relieve the headache that kept building in size and intensity, and trying desperately to remember what all went on last night. Everything was still quite hazy in his mind and all he could think about was how much he had fucked up last night. He was surprised that Darren hadn't kicked him when he found him at his doorstep. He was almost scared to wonder why Darren had been nice enough to offer to bring him coffee back. All he knew was it would make filming next season a little awkward if this drunken mistake ruined their friendship. "Fuck…" he mumbled, falling down the wall to the floor with a thud, using his arm to cover his eyes, "What was wrong with me?"

He closed his eyes, willing Darren to get back as soon as possible, seeing as he didn't have his phone or his key card on him. He sat back in silence for a minute before he heard whispering. Chris opened his eyes to see two teenage girls talking quietly to each other, staring at him. "Thanks for letting me in the room Darren." Chris angrily thought to himself. The shorter of the two girls approached his slumped figure and asked for an autograph. Chris thanked the heavens they didn't have cameras because he had absolutely no idea what kind of state he was in, however, the throbbing headache was evidence enough that it wasn't pretty. He didn't even think too much about it though; all that was going through his mind was what had happened with Darren the previous night.

So, Darren liked him. Does that mean he likes Darren back? He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as the said man turned down the hallway, two coffees in hand.

Deciding he should probably get up already, Chris stood shakily, clutching at his head and groaning in frustration. Darren walked to him and offered him one of the cups, giving half of a smile, "Take it easy there, after your night you will most likely need something to lean on for a few days." Chris laughed politely and watched as Darren used his room key and walked in, holding it open for him. Chris thanked him and followed after him, settling himself on the edge of the messed up bed. Darren felt the tension in the room slowly build.

Despite how much he wanted to avoid all interaction with Chris until he was sure nothing would be remembered, he knew that he had to pretend, "I can't believe how crazy you got after the whole two bars that you went to. It only makes sense that you fell asleep when you got here." Darren gulped and looked down at his cup, playing with the edge of it.

Chris watched him and bit his lip before he brought the warm liquid of relief to his lips and sipped. He housed the cup in his hands, looking down at it before he spoke, "So...Darren... Why exactly was I sleeping in front of your door this morning?" Darren coughed on the drink he had just taken of his own coffee and cleared his throat. He stuttered to find the right words.

"Erm, oh, ya know, I put you back in your room for the night and I guess you followed me back to my room. Since I didn't answer, you passed out. That's probably what went down…" Darren trailed off, cringing at the horrible lie that stuck in his throat. He glanced at Chris' face and knew that the taller boy wasn't having any of it.

"Darren…" He began, not quite knowing how to broach the delicate subject. "I remember what happened last night." Darren's heart started pounding and he looked defiantly at the floor, willing Chris to just shut up and go alone with the game of make believe Darren had created.

"Eh, um, what are you talking about Chris? What do you remember?" Darren tried to get out a laugh to lighten the situation, but it got caught in his throat and he coughed. Chris shook his head slightly, sighing.

"Darren, don't play dumb with me. I know that you may, um, that you may not want to remember it, but I do and I would really appreciate it if we could talk about it." Darren stood up from the bed and started pacing the room.

"Chris, can we please just… Not? Not talk about anything that happened last night and pretend it never happened so that we can go back to the way things are supposed to be?"

Chris shook his head, giving Darren a sad smile. "No, Darren, we can't go back. We can never go back to how we used to be because how we used to be doesn't exist anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

Darren sat down on the bed, looking up at Chris, with a pleading look, "Chris, I know we can't go back to exactly how it was before, but can we at least try to at least get to a point where we can be can be somewhat normal around each other again?"

Chris walked over to the bed and sat down next to Darren, looking right into his eyes, "I... I don't know. I can't help but feel like I screwed everything up. I screwed up our friendship, and I screwed up the chemistry we had while working together." Tears started to form in Chris' eyes, "I'm sorry, Darren..." he cried, burying his face in his hands, "I'm afraid things will never be the same, and it's all my fault."

Darren sighed, his heart heavy. This wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go. He didn't want Chris to cry. "Chris, you didn't screw everything up." Darren comforted. "You were drunk, you weren't thinking clearly." Darren said almost in a whisper. Chris looked up at him again and wiped at the tears that were slowing down his face.

"Did... did you want it? I didn't force, you did I?" Chris asked hurriedly. He had to make sure he didn't do anything with Darren that Darren would actually regret. He didn't want to make him feel like Kurt after the Karofsky scene. Although it didn't seem at the moment that Darren wanted to remember last night.

Darren shook his head. "Well I think I made it evident enough that I did want it. Not exactly like that, no, but you were drunk, and yeah… Let's just forget this ever happened and just move on, okay?" Chris studied his face, but Darren turned away to avoid eye contact. His chest ached and he just wanted to erase last night from his memory, and Chris'.

Chris nodded and took this as his cue to leave. He got his key back from Darren and made his way back to his own hotel room. He was still unsure what to make of all of this. Did he like Darren in that way? Of course he had had to take a nice, long, cold shower after the kiss scene in Original Song, but who wouldn't after making out with someone for hours?

As the memories of the kiss revisited his mind, Chris felt his breath hitch and a smile formed on his lips. He quickly pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, touching his fingertips to his lips and remembering the feel of Darren's. Again did his heart clench just once before the beat resumed. Chris looked towards his door and took a shaky breath, "I-I... have feelings... for Darren Criss..." Chris closed his eyes and sat down on his bed, immediately falling back. His eyes burned holes in the ceiling as the revelation hit him over and over, marking him with deep impacts. Suddenly, Chris shot up and walked purposefully to his hotel room door. He flung it open and tried to restrain from running down the hall back to Darren's room. When he reached the door, he paused, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. Finally, he raised his closed fist and rapped on the door. He waited a second, about to knock again, when he heard the shuffling of footsteps walking to the door.

"Chris, just go away. We don't have anything else to discuss right now, please... I can't do this right now; I just need to be alone." Darren called through the door, having looked through the peephole to see who was waiting for him.

Chris blew out the breath he had been holding and responded, "Darren, please, open the door and let me in." No answer. "Dare, please, it's still me and you. I just need to talk to you. Please." He pressed his open palm to the door, trying to convey all of his emotions through the solid wood and into Darren's heart. After a minute of waiting, he sighed, resigning himself to a lonely day. He lowered his hand and turned on his heel, heading back down the hall the way he came.

* * *

><p>Darren walked back to his bed and slumped down onto it face first. Chris was his co-worker. Chris played his love interest on the show. No, not even <em>his<em> love interest, he played _Blaine's_ love interest. No way could he be developing some sort of feelings for Chris. Those feelings couldn't be real, right? He was just really channeling Blaine here, right?

He's straight, he reason with himself. He couldn't possibly be into Chris like _that_. The fact that Darren couldn't keep his eyes off Chris' tight little ass in those ungodly tight jeans he wore on set didn't mean anything, right?

As much as Darren tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew deep down that he was starting to develop a bit of a crush on Chris. One thing was for sure, he knew he couldn't act on those feelings. He couldn't risk ruining the chemistry they had on set, or the friendship they had, at least not any more than it'd already been ruined. Now was the time to fix everything, not make it worse by acting on impulse.

Darren got up from his bed and started walking around the room aimlessly. He had to do something. Ok, he decided, he was going to have to go to talk to Chris, and this time, just tell him that they should be friends and that's it and that he doesn't have feelings for him, he was just caught up in the moment. Deciding that this was a good idea, Darren walked out of his room and made his way to Chris' room. Taking a calming breath, he knocked on the door. "Chris? Are you there?" Darren asked. He heard some shuffling from inside.

"Oh, now you want to talk?" Chris snorted sarcastically. Darren ignored his attitude.

"Yeah, can you just please let me in?" Chris opened the door slowly. Darren opened his mouth to tell Chris that it would be best to just remain friends and everything else he has prepared in his head for the last few minutes when his mind went blank. Chris looked amazing. His hair was slightly mussed, looking as if he had run his hand through it a couple times in the last few minutes and his eyes are red rimmed from crying. However, the only thing Darren can think of was "Beautiful." Chris looked shocked and Darren realizeed that he said it out loud.

Darren froze. This was just what he decided he wasn't going to do. He swallowed. "You know what maybe this wasn't such a good idea-"

"Darren wait," Chris cut him off before he could turn around and run again. "Maybe... we could try... something." he finished lamely.

"...What are you talking about?" Darren questioned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well, I thought about it a little... and I think I like you, too." Darren was caught entirely off guard.

"Chris you're just confusing yourself with Kurt." Darren wanted to believe him, but just couldn't. Chris shook his head violently in disagreement.

"No Darren, don't say that. Just, please… Just come in, we can talk, like you wanted." Darren hesitated. "Please." Chris' insistence pushed Darren's better judgment out of the picture and he crossed the threshold of the younger boy's room. Chris closed the door behind him and they both sat down on the sofa, neither boy trusting themselves to sit on the bed. "Darren…" Chris started, causing the shorted one to jump. "Sorry. But, ah… You said you wanted to talk? Finally…" Darren nodded.

"I'm sorry for freaking out earlier. I have so many things running through my head, so many projects I'm working on and so many songs playing constantly and so many, just, thoughts! Thoughts constantly running around my brain, trying to vie for equal attention and I'm going crazy because I can't give them ANY of my attention." Chris raised an eyebrow, questioning where Darren was going with this. "I can't think straight, Chris. The thoughts, they used to be what fueled me, what drew me out of bed in the middle of the night. The ideas used to call to me, promising bigger and better things with every turn." He stopped, moving his gaze to look Chris in the eye. "But now…" He paused, licking his dry lips. "Now… All of my thoughts are pushed aside for one thing."

"What one thing?" Chris whispered, barely moving an inch.

"You."


	4. Chapter 4

The word hung in the air. Darren's eyes dropped from Chris' as the gravity of the confession hit them both. Neither moved. Chris took a breath and dropped his gaze to the floor as well.

Slowly, he rose to his feet and crossed to the other side of the room, beside the bed. He faced the wall, arms folded around his stomach.

There was a sort of crushing finality in the air. Distance. Chris was putting distance between them. Because that's how it was supposed to be between them, two co-stars: a healthy _distance_.

And that must be what Chris wanted.

He had said, only moments before, that he liked him. But what did that even mean? Darren didn't have the energy to ponder that statement. He disregarded it, knowing that any false hope now would only lead to more pain than his heart could take.

It was over. Chris had obviously decided that. Time to cut his losses before he managed to fuck up his friend's life even more.

Through the uncurtained window, the faintest wisps of dawn's gold could be seen cutting through the darkness. The dim light caught the side of Chris' turned face in a way that made Darren's heart clench. Beautiful. He'd say it again a thousand times and it would never stop being the truth. This beautiful man, who wasn't his.

Who was now crying, because of him.

He could see a tear roll down Chris' cheek, glinting ever so slightly in the light from the window. _God, Darren, you know how much shit this guy has in his life right now. He doesn't need any of your emotional baggage or half-assed confessions to add to that. What the _hell_ is wrong with you?_

He was halfway to the door before he realized what he was doing. _So what, just leave him here in misery without even fucking apologizing, go about your business and pretend that you didn't just ruin everything? _

Turning around and walking back over to Chris' side was one of the hardest things Darren had ever done. Before he walked out of that door and probably out of their friendship as well, he had to at least say he was sorry.

A heavy intake of breath. Azure eyes looking sideways at him from under wet eyelashes revealed an unreadable expression that Darren couldn't bear to hold long enough to decipher.

"Chris, I…" And that was as far as his apology got.

"Shhh." A cool finger trailed against Darren's lips. He fought the ridiculous urge to flick his tongue out and taste the smooth skin. Darren could practically feel the eyes gazing down on him, burning into his skin and sending waves of embarrassed heat to his cheeks. His gaze remained firmly on Chris's shoes, unable to bring his own eyes to meet a gaze that would undoubtedly hold everything he didn't want to see. Anger. Frustration. Maybe even sympathy.

But not love.

The finger left his lips, ghosting ever so lightly against the corner of his mouth. He couldn't suppress a shudder.

"Darren?" He held his tongue. Every word that had come out of his stupid mouth so far had only managed to fuck this situation up even more. "Darren, look at me." The pleading breaking into the command nearly broke his heart. Chris was three years younger and ten years stronger than him. Chris was always in control, always guarded by a sharp wit and a sharper tongue. Chris was _never_ the one to break. And look, Darren had gone and cracked the diamond of their group.

God, he just had a talent at fucking up everything he touched, didn't he?

"Darren. _Look _at me." The tone was different somehow, in a way he couldn't describe. And because of that, he did. In that look he threw everything inside of him: every feeling, every urge, every breathless night spent with his face buried in his pillow out of shame and frustration and _need_. Because this was his last chance to tell him exactly what he needed to say but apparently words weren't enough for. Slowly, Darren's gaze lifted.

He didn't get a chance to see Chris's own eyes. Within an instant there were lips crashing against his, chapped and greedy and pressing. His head was jerked back roughly as slender fingers ran along the nape of his neck and twined into his untamed curls, pulling his head to an angle which allowed Chris to deepen the kiss.

The lips moving against his were dry, but the tongue which darted into his open mouth was hot and slick. Without thought Darren grabbed Chris around the waist with both arms and pulled them flush together, chests pressing closer with each gasping breath and mouths now interlocked. He moaned as he felt teeth sink down on his bottom lip, a tongue running over the inside of the tender skin and against his teeth.

Then it hit him: _he was kissing Chris Colfer_.

That was about as far as his brain got before it shut down completely, and the pent-up craving of too many nights' guilty suppression took over his body. With an animalistic snarl, Darren grabbed Chris by the shoulders and pushed him backwards, forcing him into the wall. Chris slid down a little, breath coming out in little gasps, giving Darren the slight height advantage and _god_ didn't that make this about five times as hot. Grabbing Chris' wrists, he pinned them to the wall and ducked his head into the crook of Chris's neck, grazing the skin with his teeth and then sucking hard enough to bruise over the reddened spot. He whined under his touch, writhing as though his body was fighting between the urge to flee or to melt impossibly closer to Darren's body. Darren made the decision easy for him by pressing his full weight against Chris, trapping him completely against the wall. They were a mass of shifting heat against the white of the cool paint.

The noise that Chris made when Darren thrust against him for the first time was nearly obscene: a sort of stuttered groan that ripped from the inside of his chest. Darren couldn't be sure, but he guessed he'd made some similar utterance. He was too busy listening to the whimperings of the man pressed against him, savouring the rolls of tingling pleasure from each tiny contact, revelling in a whole host of sensations which he had never been able to conjure in his dirtiest fantasy, because this was _Chris_ pressed up against him, _Chris _responding to his every touch, and that changed everything.

Darren tightened his grip on Chris' wrists as he thrust again. He was so hard that the move was almost painful, but the explosion of pleasure which accompanied it blocked out any other feeling. He could feel the other boy's hardness pressed up against his leg and rocking in time with the sound of Chris' little whimpers. Darren groaned and bit down on the sensitive flesh just below Chris' earlobe, each jerky movement of his hips making a muffled thud as their bodies collided with the wall. He kept giving and Chris just _took_ each thrust, rocking back slightly but mostly allowing Darren to pin him to the wall and ravage without remorse.

His mouth was fascinating. It hung open, pink-tinged lips glistening. He was panting as though there was no oxygen left in the room. Darren just wanted to bite that mouth, it looked so fucking delicious. So he did.

This wasn't Darren. He was a gentle lover, full of tender caresses and murmured assurances and always trying to make the other person feel respected and comfortable. This was something different entirely. It was like something had taken over him, some beast of passion that was making it impossible for him to control himself.

He was seriously considering letting that beast out to play more often.

As much as Darren was enjoying the feeling of dominance, Chris was stronger than most people seemed to give him credit for. Darren had noticed he'd been working particularly on his arms (oh _god_, had he noticed, and in some potentially embarrassing ways). Which is why he shouldn't have been so caught off guard when Chris managed to break the hold on his wrists with a quick twist of his elbows. The flare of fire in those ocean blue eyes was the only thing that registered before Chris lunged.

The combination of being positively ravenous with lust with the sickening drop in his stomach as he fell backwards left Darren's head spinning, his back hitting the mattress with a loud _thump_. He barely had time to recover his center of gravity before a weight settled on his hips and he was lost again in a hazy world of overpowering desire and pangs of heavy fever deep in his abdomen. Soft brown hair tickled his cheek in the most delicious way as Chris' mouth sunk onto his collarbone, teeth lightly biting at his exposed neck. Hands ran down the sides of his body and suddenly grabbed at his own wrists, his fingernails digging in painfully: a clear retaliation for earlier. He wasn't about to protest, not when even the pain was becoming an amplifier for the adrenaline coursing through his body, heightening each sensation to the point that the lightest brush of lips against the dark stubble on his jaw was making him writhe.

Chris drew his arms up and pressed them into the mattress on either side of his head. Still kneeling over Darren's lap but not lowering himself far enough for the contact that Darren desperately needed, he brought his head down to murmur into his ear.

"Stay." He nodded vigorously, but when Chris removed his hands, Darren's arms (almost) involuntarily started to move to grab Chris around the waist and grind him down, give himself _any_ relief for the aching bulge in his jeans.

Chris grabbed his wrists roughly and yanked them back down again. Darren yelped as his arm was jolted to an unnatural angle. "What did I say?" Chris hissed.

"S-stay," he whispered.

Chris's smooth cheek nuzzled against the roughness of his own, so that his lips were right against Darren's ear. His breath was hot against his already flushed skin. Darren closed his eyes tightly, concentrating on every point in his body that was connected to Chris and savouring the sensation from each. The next words and the warm air that accompanied them made his skin crawl. "So what are you going to do, Darren?" He flinched as the fingers tightened around his wrists and he felt the head against his own lift away.

He opened his eyes, and for the first time since Darren's confession, his gaze met Chris'. Eyes locked, Darren spoke clearly, no waver in his voice.

"Stay."

There was silence for a moment, in which neither took a breath. Darren willed the understanding to pass through his eyes to Chris', the _promise_. For a second, he thought he caught a flicker of faint light in Chris' eyes, but maybe it was just the reflection of the dawn beginning to seep through the window.

Chris dropped his gaze. "Good," he said, his voice slightly ragged. The hands released, and this time Darren managed to keep his arms still, though it took effort, especially when the hands moved to stroke maddeningly slow down his chest. Fingers teased the bottom of the fabric, one sliding just below the fabric of his waistband. His hips jerked, but Chris planted a hand on the upper part of a thigh to keep them down. That also placed the hand so close to Darren's crotch that he swore he could feel the heat of it pass straight through the fabric into his cock. His hands shook with the effort to keep them still.

Too, _too_ slowly, a button came undone, then another, starting from the bottom of his plaid shirt. He had neglected to wear an undershirt below it, afraid of the overpowering heat in the clubs they had frequented that night, and he had never regretted anything less as the fingers brushed against his bare stomach and sent electric shocks through his body at every touch.

Finally all the buttons were loosened and his shirt hung open, exposing his chest to the cool air. One hand still rested on his thigh while the other caressed the bared skin almost tentatively. Darren could see that Chris' eyes were closed. All he wanted to do was reach up and cup Chris' face with his hands, pull him close and kiss him deep and rough until neither could draw breath (and alright, some more grinding wouldn't be refused either, but that could wait), but he wasn't allowed to move and it was _killing_ him. He didn't understand why Chris was doing this.

The anticipation sent sparks through the air between them as nothing moved but Chris' hand, sliding up and down across Darren's chest, long fingers occasionally brushing a nipple and forcing a choked gasp from Darren's lips. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Chris…" The eyes flew open.

"What?"

"_Please,_" he moaned.

They were so soft that Darren could barely hear Chris' breathy words.

"T-tell me you want it."

"God, Chris, I want it so bad, I-"

"What do you want, Darren?"

"I-I…" The disappointment in Chris' expression was fleeting, but unmistakable. What did he want to hear? Darren wasn't sure if Chris was into dirty talking or anything like that and he certainly wasn't going to risk initiating it and sending a freaked out Chris running from the room. Frantic, he settled on a repeat of what had started this whole thing. At least he was being honest for once.

"I want y_ou_."

Maybe that was the right answer, because before his mind could register what the source of it was, a fucking tidal wave of pleasure came scorching through his body as Chris ground down with all his might on Darren. He clenched his hands into the sheet in a failing effort to keep his arms still, but with each passing second he gave up the fight more and more. When he finally gave in and lifted his arms to grab Chris' waist, it appeared that Chris was far gone enough that he had forgotten the order. Giddy with the new freedom, Darren was quick in sliding his hands down to cup Chris' ass, their pressure turning the unsteady thrusts into a more constant grind and _fuck_ why the hell was he still wearing pants?

Although reluctant to release his grip on his hands' current location, Chris' shirt was getting in the way and had to go. Thank god he had a t-shirt on because Darren didn't think his trembling fingers would be deft enough to undo any buttons. He practically ripped the thing off in his haste and dragged Chris down on top of him, bare chests connected and slipping together with sweat as the grind continued. His fingernails made red trails on pale skin as they scraped down Chris' damp back, but neither could register any sort of pain with all the pleasurable sensations overcoming their senses. The sounds they made were steadily increasing in volume: Darren's low groans mingling with Chris' high whines.

Chris' mouth was against his ear again, and every word he whispered raised the temperature another degree. Darren could hear the confidence in his voice rising along with the volume, though the words were occasionally interrupted by moans.

"_Fuck_, Darren. Feels good. Tell me it feels good."

"Feels amazing. Chris, you're so fucking ama-_fuck!_" Chris had bitten down on his earlobe and begin to run his tongue along it. Darren lost all ability to form coherent thought in that moment.

"Tell me what you want, Darren."

"Want… _y-you…_"

"What do you want me to do, Darren?"

"Shit, Chris, I d-oh _god_- I…"

His words were laced with the hint of a smirk. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."

Well, that settled the dirty talk conundrum. "I-_oohh!_"

"Darren! Concentrate." It was hard to, considering that he could feel Chris' erection pressing up against his own through their jeans and _again_ remind him why they were still wearing them?

"I- I want you to fuck me." All movement froze. _Fuck_, not again. Now Darren was the one whining, pushing up in a vain attempt for friction.

"… No." Darren looked up at his face, but Chris' expression was fixed on the wall across the room, revealing no emotion but steady determination. "I'm not going to fuck you, Darren." He knew the expression better than to ask why. There was no room for argument here.

Darren breathed out slowly. "Fine. Then at least let me do this." Before Chris could protest, he had flipped the two of them over and was working at the button on Chris' jeans.

Chris' voice was panicked as he suddenly found himself out of control of the situation. "Darren, what-"

"I want to make you feel good." Pausing for a look of affirmation from the other boy, he received a small nod. With that, he yanked Chris' jeans and boxers down in one swift movement.

He could spend hours admiring the fact that Chris Colfer was perfection in every way, including this particular part of himself (and hoped to do so at a later date), but right now the need was too great to allow himself the time. Taking one last look at the wide eyes staring at him, he plunged his mouth onto Chris' cock.

He was by no means an expert at the art of giving blowjobs (though to say he hadn't tried it once or twice would have been a lie. He'd been to college, after all, and with some pretty adventurous people), but the stuttered little keening noises that Chris emitted as Darren sunk his mouth lower and wrapped his hand around the base seemed to indicate he wasn't doing a half-bad job at it. His mouth felt so full, and he loved the taste of the musk mingled with salty sweat. This was definitely something he could get into doing more often.

With the hand not occupied, Darren reached down to cup at himself and relieve some of the aching pressure in his own body. Unable to stand it any longer, he undid the button on his own jeans and awkwardly shoved them down as far as he could, doing his best not to let his teeth graze the cock in his mouth as he shifted his hips. His own dick finally free, he moaned in relief. Of course, his mouth still enveloping Chris, the moan passed through him as well, and he let out a strangled whine as his hips bucked up, forcing Darren off of him with a pop as he tried to avoid choking. Deep throating was _not_ something he was ready for yet.

He tried to lower his head back down, but a hand on his shoulder stayed him. "Lay down, Darren."

He tried to protest, but Chris was already shoving him back onto the pillows and he was really ready to take anything at this point, he was so turned on. "What are you doing?"

"Returning the favour." With that, Chris attacked his lips once again in a fierce kiss, and Darren felt a hand wrap around his cock.

"Shit!" he yelped, Chris pulling back from the kiss as his mouth fell open in a ragged pant. The hand had begun to move up and down and Darren bucked his hips, fucking his hand into Chris' fist. The sensation was otherworldly, and he couldn't seem to control what his mouth was doing.

"Fuck, Chris ah _oh, fuck _yes oh…" The cries morphed into something different. "Fu-fuck me, fuck me Chris, fuck me fuck me…" His plaintive cries echoed through the room. After a 'no' or two, Chris stopped protesting and simply continued pumping his hand around Darren, nibbling lightly at his neck and rubbing his own erection into Darren's thigh.

"…_fuck me, Chri-" _And all of a sudden, the hand was gone, suddenly tangled in his curls and pulling his head back.

"_Darren_. Open your eyes." They snapped open. Chris' eyes were mere inches away, staring deeply into his. The look in them: was it _fear_? Whatever it was, it passed and was replaced by a look of fierce but playful determination. Chris raised his hand, tracing it against the dark stubble on Darren's chin. The fingers trailed over his jaw, then across his cheek and over the eyelids which had fluttered closed. Darren's heart was pounding almost painfully hard. The hand stopped its progress just resting on his quivering lower lip.

"Suck."

That one word practically set him over the edge. Chris slowly slid two fingers into Darren's kiss-bruised mouth. He could taste the saltiness of sweat as he flicked his tongue up to press against the pads.

"Darren," He shivered at hearing his name in that uncharacteristically low rasp, "_suck_."

Oh.

Right.

Darren closed his eyes again and sighed as the fingers slid in and out of his mouth. If Chris' quickening breath was any indication, he was enjoying the sensation as much as Darren was.

The fingers slid out from his lips. Darren could see the wetness shining on them.

"Alright?" He wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but he really felt alright in every manner he could imagine, so he simply answered with a nod. Chris took a shaky breath. "Alright."

The motion on his cock resumed, this time with the left hand and Darren pressed his head back into the pillows, screwing his eyes shut. Suddenly, he felt an unexpected coolness beneath his cock, a slick trail gliding down further than any other hand had ventured, except his own in the middle of his guiltiest, most confusing nights when he'd tried to pretend it wasn't Chris he was imagining slipping a hand between his legs and—

But it _was_ Chris, and as he felt the blunt pressure against his entrance, an inexplicable joy passed through his heart. Or perhaps very explicable, if an odd contrast to the passion and lust beating from every pore in his body. The realization that this was happening, this _was finally happening_ finally clicked within his mind as the slick finger pressed into him.

He felt complete. And _fuck_ he wasn't going to pretend this didn't burn, but the fullness felt so overwhelming in every possible sense that the pain was only a small fraction of everything he was experiencing. The hand still moved around him as the finger pressed deeper. He writhed, the body's need to escape from the intrusion battling his mind's desire for—

"More! _God_, Chris…"

"Are you sure?" The concern in his voice was clear.

"Please…"

The second finger hurt more than the first, and his swearing wasn't entirely from pleasure right now, but when Chris suddenly pressed his own groin against Darren's, all that was forgotten. Chris was inside of him, and against him, and as Chris began to move it felt as though they were one body, one soul moving in tandem with breathless cries and the sweet smell of sweat and sex mingling in the air.

The explosion of his climax took Darren by surprise, bursts of wet heat coating their naked bodies as Chris came as well. He barely registered the removal of the fingers while he rode out the last spasms of his orgasm. Nothing was in his mind but a grey haze and a soft buzzing as Chris slumped against him, panting.

As the first rays of sunlight passed through the window, Darren's world sunk into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun reached an angle where it just began to stream through the half-drawn curtains, highlighting the outline of the dark figure next to Chris. He lay watching the gentle rise and fall of Darren's chest, noticing how calm his expression was now compared yesterday. Chris wondered what would happen now, what they would consider themselves, or if they would even tell anybody at all. The curly haired boy shifted a little, knocking Chris away from his thoughts. He reached over and gently traced a finger along Darren's stubbly jaw and his eyes fluttered open.

"Morning," Chris said to the sleepy man. They smiled at each other before he replied.

"Morning." Darren rubbed his eyes gently, taking a deep breath before launching into a coughing fit. Chris rolled over and laughed, grabbing at his sides at the quick movement. The older boy composed himself and settled back on the mattress as he watched Chris cover his mouth and close his eyes to stint any more laughter. "Are you done now?" Chris nodded, still keeping his hand over his mouth he took a deep breath and smiled at the other.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't handle how incredible attractive you looked at that moment. You were simply a vision." And with that statement Darren stuck up one sole finger. Feeling cheeky, Chris arched a brow.

"Me or you? You were pretty specific last night..." Once more Darren let go of a deep cough as he choked on air.

"Breathe Darren," Chris said, patting him gently on the back.

"You can't just say things like that!" Darren got out. Chris winked at the older man.

"Why not?" He asked. Darren stared at Chris for a moment. He realized that somewhere after he fell asleep, Chris must have showered and gotten dressed because he was in different clothes than he was wearing before. Darren was still in the same clothes he wore the night before, but didn't feel too gross. He figured he could still use a shower though.

"Uh... just because. Um..." Darren couldn't really think of a response. However, lying on the bed, he was quite comfy and didn't feel like moving much, even though the conversation was beginning to get awkward. Darren let out a long breath, settling back into the warm bed. He wasn't sure what to think of everything that had happened last night. How did everything progress to _that_, in such a short amount of time? Last time he checked, Chris was just his good friend, and now he was... Well, he wasn't sure what they were anymore. He figured they had moved somewhere past the friend's category, but Chris was still here, so he didn't think this was some sort of one night fling.

Chris stared down at the shorter man, who appeared to be deep in thought "What'cha thinking, Darren? You look... Confused." Darren's eyes connected with Chris' for a second before speaking.

"Oh, nothing really… I just have a lot of stuff going on in my head right now. But, can I ask you something?" Chris nodded, confused by what was going on and gestured for Darren to ask.

"Sure. Anything."

"Just... What _are_ we now?" Chris froze, not knowing how to answer. Did Darren regret their night together? Had he just been experimenting, wanting to know what it would feel like to be with him? He shook his head at the shorter man's question.

"What do _you _think we are now?" Chris deflected the question back on Darren. He too froze, suddenly worried that Chris didn't want to answer because he was afraid that his answer would hurt Darren.

"I-I'm not sure…" Darren stuttered, trying to calm his heart skipping a few beats. "I mean, I had fun, but… Ya know, you and me, we, I mean, you're my best friend."

"What does that even mean Darren? I still _am_ your best friend, however, I know for a fact that you don't go around asking all of your best guy friends to fuck you in the ass on a regular basis, unless I missed something." Chris put up his defenses, ready to be rejected and preparing himself for the worst.

"Chris, no, please, don't say that." Darren begged. "You're just such an important person in my life, and I don't want to lose what we have because our relationship is so special to me." Chris snorted with sarcasm.

"Oh sure, our relationship is so special. Tell me, Darren, if our relationship is so special to you, why were you willing to risk it for a night of pleasure?" Chris felt tears welling up in his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to deny them the satisfaction of dropping. "Why were you willing to lose such an important person in your life without knowing what your intentions were?" A few of the tears made their way down the boy's face, making him suddenly look years younger than he truly was. "Why were you so willing to pour your heart out to me and then screw it all up?"

Darren didn't understand what was happening. Everything was so perfect moments ago and now it was all crashing back down on him. "No, Chris that's not what I meant! I didn't even mean to tell you in the first place because I care so much about our friendship and about you, and I didn't want to ruin anything. But, to be honest, I don't just want to be your best friend. I want to be more than that, so please hear me out. I mean everything I've said and if you would let me, I would like to give us a shot… Together." Darren looked intently into Chris' eyes before continuing. "I care about you so much, Chris, that I'm putting myself out here now, but if you don't want that, I'll do what you want. I'd do anything for you."

Chris wiped away a small tear that escaped him before threading a hand through dark, curly hair to pull Darren's lips onto his. He pulled away and gently pressed his forehead to Darren's. "I'd do anything for you too." Darren shut his eyes tight, praying right then and there that he was really with Chris Colfer. That the kisses that were now trailing down the side of his face belonged to the man who he truly wanted to be with. Only when the peppering stopped did he dare open his eyes. Chris sat in front of him, smiling so softly and full of... So full of love. Darren blinked and felt his breath escape him.

"I just… I still can't believe this. I've fallen for my best friend." Chris' smile widened as he stared at the boy. Slyly his mouth did turn when the next words were spoken.

"Darren...There is a moment where you say to yourself, 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you fore-" And that was as far as he got for before he could finish a pair of lips found his and backward they tumbled on the bed, laughs caught between kisses.

**Author's Note:**

**Alright everyone, that completes this story! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and commented and favorited and alerted this story, it means so much to each and every one of us. After much discussion, the other members of my rp and I have created a new account for our stories. We love writing together and we have a blast thinking up ideas and putting together plot lines. As of last night, "Caramelotti Publications" has been created. We created a new penname, Caramelotti, so please head over there and subscribe to it. There isn't anything posted yet because of the website rules, however, this story and many more will be posted over there for your reading pleasures. **

**Again, thank you so much for joining all of us on our first journey together.**

**This has been Alcohol: A Party Time Necessity (A Caramelotti Publication)**


End file.
